Car-door-fastening device



Sept. 9. 1924. 1,507,747

J. H. MAYFIELD CAR DOOR FASTENING DEVICE Filed July 23, 192:5

my 6 ly 7 Fry 8 Patented Sept. 9, 1924.

UNITED STATES JOHN H. M Y InLn, or NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

CAR-DOOR-FASTENING DEVICE.v

Application filed July 23, 1923. Serial No. 653,261.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. MAYFIE-LD, a citizen of the United Statesresiding at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in-Car-Door-Fastenfastentrain and in starting and stopping, and'to prevent such, pieces ofwood are nailed at the ends of the doors when closed which ordinarilyinjures the car and its doors and is no more effective than drivinglarge nails in the'doors and frequently work apart.

A further object is to provide meanswhereby the doors may be wedgedtogetherfirmly without injury to the car or its doors, or the doors maybe separated at any distanceand locked in that position in which casethe ordinary box car may be used for transporting live stock, preventingtheir leaving the car and affording plenty of air.

A further object of theinvention is to provide a positive fasteningmeansso that they may be locked either closed or open, furnishinganti-friction means for the easy operation thereof, and also to providefor the'sealing of the cars in a manner generally used by railway.companies;

M device will enable one door to be tight. against another, (in case ofdouble doors), or close up to the door jamb, in singledoors at all timesas any lost motion or defective door construction will notinterfere withthe proper functioning of the device and is independent of any fixedpoint on the on proper.

Further objects and advantages will be more fully described herein andspecifically pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed recourse beinghad to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification inwhich:

Figure 1 is a side view of a. portion of a box car and its doublesliding doors.

Figure 2 is a front view of my complete device without the end plates orcovers.

Figure3 is a cross section on the line 1-2 in Figure 4.

PA'rrnaT oFFIca. I *6 Figure 4 is a front view with the face or coverplate removed to show the interior ar' rangement.

Figure 5 is an end shown in Figure 4. i Y

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the wedge block or chocking device.

view of the device Figure 7 is a front elevation of the same.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary portion of twoparts of the device showing amodified formvof anti-friction rolleror whee-1..-]

In the drawing like reference numerals indicate similar parts inallfl'the, several views. 1

In Figures 1 and 3, 1 represents. the. car

body provided with the usual double slid ing doors 2 and 3. .The doo-r sinay behung at the upper part of the carsnear the eaves, in some type ofcars, or upon a horizontal supporting bar or rail below the doors, as

at 4: and such is used to; exemplifymy in vention. The rails 4' aresuitably supported and extend the proper distance from the car body, bymeans of the extensionsjor.

brackets 5, Figures, 1 and 3, or-in any desirable mannen;

6 isthemain casting element ofmy invention and has a flange/7 providedwith holes 8 for-the bolts for holding the same atthe lower edges of thecardoo-rs 2 and 3.

10 is the front or face portion of the. cast.-

ing 6 and is provided" with'holes 10 forthe bolts: 10 fortthe samepurpose as the bolts 9 and also to' secure the hereinafter. cover platethereto.

The casting 6 is provided with a cored recess 11 and a largerrecess 11both being connected to formone opening-of different heights. a Thenarrow recess is also provided with a semi-circular recess or seat 12for the positioning of the roller or'anti-friction wheel 13, andthelarger recess, for the hereinafter described wedge or chocking block13 is a central orifice in the roller 13 forxthe passage ofthe bolt orrod 1 1, F 'igfures 2, 3 and 5, acting as its axle and for holding thetwo parts of my invention, that is to say, the casting 6 and itshereinafter named cover, together.

'15 is a wedge shaped block vhorizontally slidable and liftablypositioned in the larger recess 11 and is provided with taperingchocking point or projection 16, a rounded rear bottom portion 17, andtwo laterally projecting lugs Band 19, one on each side thereof anddisposed at a slight angle to the horizontal plane of the block, asshown in Figures 6 and 7.

20 is the face plate or cover fitting over the casting 6 and thereforencloses the roller 13 and the wedge or chocking block 15 within theirrespective cavities or recesses and secured by the bolts 10 and 14passing through the part 10 of the casting.

2O are curved slots in the cover or face plate 20, also in the maincasting 6, the latter being so placed in case the device is to be usedin a reversed position.

In order to cover up the ends of my device so as to completely enclosethe same, I provide the end plates 21. having holes 22 therein, (Figure3), for the bolts or screws 23. The end plates are also provided withrectangular openings or orifices 23" for the slidable mounting of thedevice upon the door supporting rail or rails 4, as shown in Figure 5.

24 is a bolt passing through the plates 6 and 20 and also through thelower or suspension points of the car door, and which, at the same time,serves for the axle or fulcrum of the locking latch hook 24 The latchhook consists of the curved working :taces 25, the fiat portions 26 andthe tapcred nose or end 27 and such arrangement permits the hook to moreeffectually wedge itself upon the inclined faces of the wedge block lugs18, as shown in Figure 2.

27 is a staple or loop in alignment with the portion 27 of the hook 24into which it enters and when in the proper place, the hole 28 isslightly below the staple so that the ordinary strap or wire-car sealmay be inserted and sealed at the lower edges of the doors instead of atthe middle portion thereof.

The hook 24 is provided with a projection or lug 31 for receiving theimpact of a hammer in order to disengage the hook from the lug 18 andthe staple 2".

In Figure 2, 29 represents the ordinary strap for the car seal 30, whichis inserted in the orifice 28, as described.

At the top portion of Figure 4, the arrow 34 indicates the direction ofthe car door in opening and it will be seen that when the wedge or chock16 of the block 15 is under the wheel or roller 13, it will beimpossible for the latter to move or turn, inasmuch as the hook 24 isdown and exerts pressure against the lug 18 thus holding the wedge 16under the roller, and as the block 15 is therefore immovable, the doorsare effectually held at anypoint upon the rail 4.

To release the roller 13, the hook 24' is thrown upward as shown by thedotted lines in Figure 2, which moves the block 15 and wedge 16 to theright and clears the path of the roller and the doors can be readilyopened.

The position of the checking or wedge block when released from under theroller 13 and raised by the curvature of the slot 20, is shown by dottedlines in Figure 4.

hen the chocking point 16, ot the block] 15, is raised by having thelugs 18 raised by being placed at the centre or at the right hand end ofthe slot, the rollers become the a usual anti-friction means and the'doors may be easily operated. 3

The dotted lines 33 in Figure 4, show a modified form of recess whereina tapering upper surface is used, but I find that the arrangement shownby full lines is to be preterred.

In Figure 8 I show a modified. form for the rollers 13, ifdesired,,wherebfy the round ed pins 32 are cast with they wheel orroller and introduced into correspondinglyshaped cavities in the parts 6and 20 which dispenses with the use of the bolt 14, as in Figure 3. I

My invention is both cheap and eflicient and locks the doors at anypoint along the rail.4 even if the abutting member expands or shrinks orhas lostrmotion, my invention provided for closed doors at all times,when so desired, and no amount of jarringwill loosen the wedge-1'6 aslong as the hook 24 is in place.

I claim: I c In combination wit-h slidingdoors, of a recessed casting,roller or wheel supporting means in said recess, a wedge adapted tochock said roller supporting means against movement, projection or luginean's thereon, a curved slot for said lug or projection adapted toraise and lower said wedge, and hook or lever means adapted to engagesaid lug to prevent movement of said wheel sup-'- porting means.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

JOHN H. ,MAYFIELD...

